UFC Mexico: Can dos Anjos Avoid Ferguson's Favorite Choke?
With this month mainly centred around UFC 205, which looks to be the greatest card of all time hyperbolized by the fact it’s the first ever UFC event in New York, the main event of UFC Mexico City is not receiving the attention it deserves.
Although coming off a quick loss against Eddie Alvarez to lose his UFC lightweight title, it’s important not to forget the dominant performances Rafael dos Anjos has had over some of the UFC’s most experienced fighters.
Anthony Pettis and Donald Cerrone are just two of those fighters dos Anjos bulldozed through with ease. He will hope to take out another elite contender in the lightweight division, as he faces Tony Ferguson this Saturday in Mexico City.
Known for intense demeanor, but most of all his hectic fight style, Tony Ferguson has become somewhat of a fan-favorite. His unorthodox style sets up for fighting gratification at its finest. Coming into this fight with four consecutive post-fight bonuses, ‘El Cucuy’ also looks to become the first lightweight ever in the UFC to win nine fights in a row.
Rafael dos Anjos shares many similarities with ‘El Cucuy.’ They are both high volume strikers, heavy pressure fighters and have great ground games. However, there are some notable differences, one being their cautiousness.
Calm and calculated, dos Anjos’ game subverts the free-flowing franticness of Ferguson. The Brazilian’s striking game focuses on the fundamentals of his southpaw stance. The right jab/hook, left straight and of course his vicious left kick to the body. These kicks are an overlooked aspect of dos Anjos’ game, he holds great power in them and we saw this in his rematch with Donald Cerrone.
It will be essential for dos Anjos to maintain the explosiveness of his takedowns against Ferguson. We’ve seen in the past that sloppy takedown attempts against Ferguson result in ‘El Cucuy’ slapping on his trademark D’Arce choke and finishing the fight. If dos Anjos can explode through Ferguson when shooting for a takedown, his neck will not be exposed to Ferguson’s choke.
As previously mentioned, Ferguson is very similar to dos Anjos, but only in certain aspects. From spinning elbows to flying knees, the unpredictability and risk taking of ‘El Cucuy’s’ striking is a polar opposite compared to the conventional dos Anjos. It is this unorthodox striking of Ferguson which directly leads to a ‘dog fight’ with his opponent, and although it might be entertaining to the audience, this could certainly be a dangerous game to play against dos Anjos.
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Both dos Anjos and Ferguson have excellent ground games, but for different reasons. RDA is very strong positionally on the ground, controlling his opponent in any given position, continuing to land strikes while passing their guard with ease.
On the other end of the spectrum, Ferguson is a sporadic and wild submission artist on the ground. If he gets the chance to ‘snap you down’ with his signature D’Arce choke, he will. Therefore, it will be interesting to see if dos Anjos can maintain position on the ground against Ferguson, and avoid the tricky submission game ‘El Cucuy’ possesses.
The main event of UFC Mexico City will be a monumental one for both competitors. Although the title shot “doesn’t matter” to ‘El Cucuy,’ he will look to continue his winning streak at lightweight by adding another big name to his résumé. Meanwhile Rafael dos Anjos hopes to overcome his last loss and stake his claim to earn his lightweight belt back.
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